Zu Ding
Encyclopedia
Zu Ding was a King of China in the early Shang Dynasty (商朝)
. His pre-reign name was Zi Xin (Chinese: 子新).
he was listed by Sima Qian as the sixtteenth Shang king, succeeding his uncle Wo Jia
(Chinese: 沃甲). He was enthroned in the year of Dingwei (Chinese: 丁未) with Bi (Chinese: 庇) as his capital. He ruled for about 32 years before his death. He was given the posthumous name Zu Ding and was succeeded by his cousin Nan Geng
(Chinese: 南庚).
alternatively record that he was the fifthteenth Shang king.
, a broad Chinese academic enquiry, published results in 2000 placing Zu Ding as a contemporary of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten
— the latter's reign beginning later than Zu Ding's, but both terminating in the mid-1330s BCE
.
Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
. His pre-reign name was Zi Xin (Chinese: 子新).
Sima Qian
In the Records of the Grand HistorianRecords of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
he was listed by Sima Qian as the sixtteenth Shang king, succeeding his uncle Wo Jia
Wo Jia
Wo Jia Wo Jia Wo Jia (Chinese: 沃甲, born Zi Yu (Chinese: 子逾), was a Shang Dynasty King of China.In the Records of the Grand Historian he was listed by Sima Qian as the fifthteenth Shang king, succeeding his brother Zu Xin (Chinese: 祖辛). He was enthroned in the year of Renyan (Chinese: 壬寅) with Bi...
(Chinese: 沃甲). He was enthroned in the year of Dingwei (Chinese: 丁未) with Bi (Chinese: 庇) as his capital. He ruled for about 32 years before his death. He was given the posthumous name Zu Ding and was succeeded by his cousin Nan Geng
Nan Geng
Nan Geng Nan Geng Nan Geng (Chinese: 南庚, born Zi Geng (Chinese: 子更), was a Shang Dynasty King of China.In the Records of the Grand Historian he was listed by Sima Qian as the seventeenth Shang king, succeeding his cousin Zu Ding (Chinese: 祖丁). He was enthroned in the year of Bingchen (Chinese: 丙辰)...
(Chinese: 南庚).
Oracle Bones
Oracle script inscriptions on oracle bones unearthed at YinxuYinxu
Yinxu is the ruins of the last capital of China's Shang Dynasty. The capital served 255 years for 12 kings in 8 generations.Rediscovered in 1899, it is one of the oldest and largest archeological sites in China and is one of the historical capitals of China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
alternatively record that he was the fifthteenth Shang king.
Attempts at chronological dating
The Xia Shang Zhou Chronology ProjectXia Shang Zhou Chronology Project
The Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project was a multi-disciplinary project commissioned by the People's Republic of China in 1996 to determine with accuracy the location and time frame of the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty...
, a broad Chinese academic enquiry, published results in 2000 placing Zu Ding as a contemporary of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten
Akhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
— the latter's reign beginning later than Zu Ding's, but both terminating in the mid-1330s BCE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
.